Little Red Riding Hood

Merc’s baby roadster gets a new name and a downsized turbo V6.

- Anand Mohan

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND GOOD WEATHER IN India? Our lives are spent pulling our hair about the heat, or the cold, and when these two aren’t around, the rain. Perfect weather is like a gift from Santa for being on your best behaviour all year long. And when you get that gift in the form of a hot new convertible, the skies are a dull grey and the view out of the driver’s seat is of water lashing the long muscular bonnet.

I ponder over the SLC 43 AMG's rainwater harvesting abilities if I tuck the roof in to the boot as Gaurav patiently waits it out in the tracking car. That’s how pointless convertibles are in India. They are novelty items for when you find perfect weather and perfect roads, but that’s also what draws a few enthusiasts/show-boaters to them. If you own a convertible, the search is always on, for routes and locales where you can drop the top, soak in the weather and let the wind ruffle your hair. Or you migrate to Manali or Mudumalai. One thing’s for sure though, a convertible with a sweet power train will definitely make a petrol head out of the show boater. You will be up early and out of town like I was the day after this gloomy photo shoot. You will also become a fully-paid subscriber to AccuWeather.